Stevens’ Butler Bulldogs faced Oladipo’s Indiana Hoosiers during the 2011-12 college regular season and again during the 2012-13 college regular season. And since Butler is based in Indiana, Stevens monitored the Hoosiers' program closely.

Stevens isn’t surprised by how well Oladipo is faring as an NBA rookie with the Orlando Magic.

“I’ve always been a huge Oladipo fan,” Stevens said before the Celtics played the Magic on Friday at Amway Center.

“Last year, he grabbed a loose ball and laid it in while our guys were still diving on it, and I remember thinking, ‘Oh, my goodness, is he athletic and quick!’ But the biggest thing that he does, in my opinion, is his energy he brings to the table. He’s an energy-giver. His teams play like he’s an energy-giver. If you talk about a guy coming off the bench, too, now you give a spark off the bench that’s pretty intense.

“I’ve always been a huge fan of his, both on the court and the way he approaches it off the court as well.”

Stevens added: “He’s tough to prepare for because he’s a good player, but he is doing some things differently. He’s playing more with the ball than he did in college. He’s going to be a really good point guard and/or a combo. He can play either one in this league.

“If you look at their bench, their bench is really interesting. They’ve got him. The guy who really, I thought, turned the Clippers game was E’Twaun Moore. Then you’ve got a guy like [power forward Andrew] Nicholson, who can score by the bunches. So it’s a tough bench to defend.”

Stevens attended the Orlando Pro Summer League, where he saw Oladipo, Nicholson, Maurice Harkless and Kyle O’Quinn play for the Magic. Over the summer, Stevens also watched some regular-season film of the Magic and, in his words, “loved what they were doing.”

Stevens said he wasn't surprised by the Magic’s 3-2 start.

“They look very cohesive to me,” Stevens said.

“They look like they’re going to be a team and they’re going to be a team for a long time. The coaches are doing a really good job, and the players seem to be really bought-in. And, again, I think when you have guys like Oladipo out there — and I don’t know the other guys personally (nor do I know him personally) — guys that raise the energy level in the room make teams better.”

Tribute timeWith 5:34 to go in the first quarter, the Magic honored three of their former players who now play for the Celtics: power forward Brandon Bass and swingmen Keith Bogans and Courtney Lee.

A video of their highlights aired on Amway Center’s scoreboard.

Bass and Lee still live in Central Florida during the offseason, and Bass loves to play regular-season games in Orlando.

“I was looking forward to coming here, because this is like my second home away from Louisiana,” Bass said. “It always feels good to come here.”

Anderson honoredThe Magic also honored Nick Anderson, the franchise’s first-ever draft pick and its second-leading career scorer. Between the first and second quarter, Anderson was honored at midcourt and was giving a painting by Magic CEO Alex Martins.

“He’s a guy who could make shots and had a great way about him on the floor,” Vaughn said of Anderson.

Young coachesWhen the Celtics hired Stevens over the summer, he displaced the Magic’s Jacque Vaughn as the youngest coach in the NBA.

Stevens turned 37 years old last month.

Vaughn will turn 39 years old in February, and he said his age hasn’t created any difficulties.

The Memphis Grizzlies’ David Joerger is the NBA’s third-youngest coach. He’ll turn 40 in February.

Layups• The Magic designated Friday’s game as Seats for Soldiers Night. The team, Harris Corporation and season-ticket holders donated more than 2,000 tickets to active and retired members of the military and their families.

• The Magic entered Friday ranked third in the NBA in defensive efficiency and 11th in offensive efficiency.